The Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) has set its goal to export at least a million tons of milled rice by 2025 while the quantity in this year is 750,000 tons.

The news was revealed by Oknha Chan Sokheang, President of CRF, while he was reporting CRF’s action plan for the fourth mandate to boost rice production and export, to H.E. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce, at the ministry office yesterday.

The President of CRF further mentioned about more strengthening CRF’s governance by formulating five-year strategic plan (2023-2027), and continuing to collaborate with Ministry of Commerce through Green Trade Company to open new markets, especially markets in the Philippines, and expanding other potential export markets through participation in trade fairs in Dubai of United Arab Emirates (UAE) this month, Thailand in May, Germany in October, and on business trips to some destinations of Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, the United States, Canada, Australia, and more.

According to Oknha Chan Sokheang, CRF plans to expand over 400,000 tons of milled rice export to Chinese markets from this year onward, particularly continue to diversify into wider new markets like the United States, Canada, the Middle East, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the like, as well as promote registered milled rice brands such as premium “Malys Angkor”, collective rice “SKO”, and glutinous rice “DSMK”.

For his part, H.E. Pan Sorasak spoke highly of efforts and achievements of CRF in the past mandate, stressing great attention paid to highest priority of rice sector of the Royal Government of Cambodia, and the important topic and point of rice sector for discussion in dialogues with both bilateral and multilateral leaders.

To promote the rice export sector, H.E. Pan Sorasak said that the Ministry of Commerce has been working hard to open markets for rice and processed products sourced from milled rice by adding these products to inventories of free trade agreements (FTAs) such as Cambodia-China FTA, Cambodia-Republic of Korea FTA, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in bilateral discussion meetings with countries such as the signing of a memorandum of understanding to export rice to markets of China, Timor Lester, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and so on.

The minister also informed his guests that the ministry is currently negotiating new agreements for Cambodia UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership, where rice is a priority goods that is expected to expand potential new markets in the Middle East, which is presently limited, which hopes to increase Cambodia’s rice exports.

At the end of the meeting, H.E. Pan Sorasak advised CRF to additionally boost rice exports to existing Chinese markets, and gave some recommendations for CRF’s more work effectiveness.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press